Socket wrenches



W. J. FASO SOCKET WRENCHES Nov. 8, 1966 Filed Aug. 12, 1965 INVENTOR.William J.Faso

United States Patent 3,283,621 SOCKET WRENCHES William J. Faso, 230 N.Deferal Highway, Deerfield Beach, Fla. Filed Aug. 12, 1965, Ser. No.479,250 1 Claim. (Cl. 81-54) This invention relates to socket wrenchesand more particularly to a driver therefor for engaging and screwing orunscrewing nuts, bolts or screws in restricted or hard-tto-reachlocations or where space is limited and where there is no room in whichto swing regular wrenches, ratchets or to move the fingers.

There are instances where the screwing or unscrewing of a loose nut orscrew with known tools is difiicult and particularly when the nut orscrew is not tight enough for the tool to operate effectively so thatthe nut or screw tends to return to its original position. Thisnecessitates the use of some other method to move the fastener into someother position before the ratchet or similar tool will operate properlyon the nut or screw.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a tool by means ofwhich the above-mentioned problems will be eliminated for when thewrench is fitted over the nut or screw, the same can be turned rapidlyin either direction by the manual manipulation or a ringer pieceprovided on the handle of the wrench so that the handle need not beswung to move the nut or screw. The wrench however, can also be used,when desired or required by turning the handle from side to side whilethe finger piece is held against rotation.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of a hollowhandle having a rotative socket holder at its forward end; with aknob-carrying shaft spaced from the socket holder; with the socketholder and shaft each carrying a pulley and with .a flexible drivemember extended between the pulleys whereby a manual rotation of theshaft will rotate the socket holder.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I havedevised the arrangement of par-ts to be described and more particularlypointed out in the claim appended here-to.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of theinvention is disclosed,

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a wrench constructed in accordance with theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the same;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the wrench with the upper casing member orhandle section removed;

FIG. 4 shows the driving belt;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 55 of FIG.1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 shows the manually rotated shaft;

FIG. 7 shows the wrench socket holder with the pulley omitted;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the socket holder, and

FIG. 9 shows an off-set type wrench constructed in accordance with theinvention.

The wrench includes a body which constitutes a handle member, the samebeing generally indicated at 1 and it is in the form of an elongatedhollow casing composed of two similar casing sections indicatedrespectively at 2 and 3. Each of these sections may, toward its widerend, be reinforced or stiffened by means of a raised ornamental rib 4.

The two casing sections are united to cooperate in the formation of ahollow casing, by means of the rivets 5 or equivalent fastening elementslocated at suitable intervals along the length of the casing.

Patented Nov. 8, 1966 At its front or forward end, the casing thusprovided has a rounded head 6 provided with a hole in which a wrenchsocket holder 7 is rotatively fitted. Said socket holder has theconventionally-shaped, non-round or square shank 8 on which the wrenchsocket is fitted in the usual manner. This portion of the socket holderis exposed on the outside of the casing as is shown in FIG. 2.

The stud portion 10 of the socket holder is disposed inside of thecasing and this part carries a pulley 11 that is press-fitted on saidstud portion. Stud portion 10 is provided with a fiat surface 12 and theopening in the pulley 11 is complementary in shape to the shape of thestud portion so that the pulley 11 and the socket holder will be coupledtogether and rotate as a unit.

Extended around the pulley 11 is a flexible cable or woven belt 13 whichpasses around a second and similar pulley 14 fitted on a shaft 15extending through the walls of the casing through a hole formed therein.Shaft 15 is flattened as shown at 17 and the bore of the pulley 14 iscomplementarily-shaped to cause the pulley to be rotated in company withthe shaft 15.

Provided on the end of the shaft 15, and as desired formed integrallytherewith, is a knob or finger piece 20 which is peripherally knurledand is located on the outside of the casing, in the handle area thereofand conveniently positioned to be engaged between the fingers. There isthus provided a rotative socket holder that is coup-led to a manuallyrotative shaft by means of a flexible member or belt which engages withthe pulleys carried respectively by the socket holder and the shaft.When a wrench socket is fitted on the holder 7 and is engaged with anut, bolt or screw, the wrench may, if desired, be used in theconventional way, or swung from side-to-side while the knob is held fromturning by being gripped between the fingers of the hand engaged ingripping the handle area of the casing. In such case the socket holderwill be held against turning and it will turn the nut or head of thebolt or screw. As soon as the nut or bolt head becomes slightlyloosened, it can be loosened further without requiring the handle to beswung, by merely rotating the knob 20 between the fingers and this willturn the wrench socket and completely loosen the nut or bolt and permitof its removal. In fitting a nut or bolt in position and in adifiicult-to-reach location, the wrench becomes particularly usefulsince it can position the nut or bolt in position and start itsthreading movement by holding the casing or handle stationarily andmerely rotating the knob 20. This will rotate the pulley 11 through thecable or belt drive and cause the nut or bolt to be threadably started.The threading can be continued by the rotation of the knob 20 untilforce is required to thread the nut or bolt home, whereupon the knob 20can be held against rotation while the handle is swung in the manner ofthe conventional socket wrench to complete the seating of the nut orbolt.

While the flexible drive member is shown and described as being anendless belt extending between pulleys, it will be apparent that itmight be a bead chain or other type of chain or flexible driving elementor some other means by which a drive may be had between amanuallyrotated shaft in the handle and a rotative socket holder carriedthereby.

The pulleys 11 and 14 are substantially alike and to prevent, or atleast greatly minimize any slippage between the pulleys and the belt,the belt-contacting surfaces 21 of the pulleys can be serrated, toothedor otherwise roughened.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 9, the head end of thecasing is angled or off-set since the construction described is readilyapplicable to that type of ofiset wrench.

Having thus described an embodiment of the invention, it is obvious thatthe same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to coverall structures coming withing the scope of the annexed claim.

What I claim is:

A digitally operable socket Wrench comprising an elongated hollow casingconstituting a body for said wrench, one end of said casing beingslightly ofiset from the rest of said casing, said ofiset end of saidcasing having an opening therein; a socket holder, said socket holderhaving a stud portion at one end and a socket receiving portion at theother end, said stud portion being operatively received in the openingin the ofiset end of said casing, said socket holder being freelyrotative when said stud portion is in position Within the offset end ofsaid casing; a first pulley, said pulley being carried by said studportion and contained wholly within said casing; shaft meansintermediate the ends of said casing, said shaft having a knob at oneend thereof said knob being located on the outside of said casing; asecond pulley riding on said shaft means, said second pulley beingwholly contained within said casing; endless cable means interconnectingsaid first and second pulleys, such that digital rotative movementapplied to the knob will cause the shaft means, second pulley and firstpulley to rotate in response thereto; and, a hand grip portion on saidcasing at the opposite extremity to said offset portion, the said knobbeing located at the inner end of said hand grip portion such that thesocket Wrench can be held and operated by the same hand.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 91,660 6/ 1869Ostrander. 3,138,983 6/1964 Frizzell.

FOREIGN PATENTS 144,289 11/ 1951 Australia. 962,575 12/ 1949 France.

\VILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

JAMES L. JONES, JR., Examiner.

